Groop Dogdrill's debut album,
Half Nelson, is a delight for trash rock (
Nashville Pussy, Dictators, early
Guns N' Roses, etc.) fans everywhere. Although the band is only a trio (Hug Kelly on drums, Damo Fowkes on bass, and Pete Spiby on guitar and vocals),
Groop Dogdrill manage to create huge riffs and grooves that would make even the staunchest
Black Sabbath fan drool with envy. All three of the band's pre-album singles excel in raw, uncensored rock ("Gentleman's Soiree," "Gracelands," and "Lovely Skin"), and all three are included on
Half Nelson. The band swipes the title of one of the Rolling Stones' most controversial songs (the obscure, never officially released "Cocksucker Blues"), and rewrites it as a venomous original composition. Fowkes' fat bass serves as the foundation for many of the tracks, including "Hessus," "Southbound Tuxedo," and "(That) Texaco (Feeling)," while Spiby's voice resembles Mudhoney's Mark Arm at times. Groop Dogdrill's debut is easily one of the most unapologetically in-your-face releases of recent times. ~ Greg Prato